Buses are an important part of Barking & Dagenham’s Older People Celebration Week

Last week, Arriva London were invited to take part in the Older People’s Celebration Week across Barking and Dagenham.

The week of celebrations, which was organised by the London borough of Barking & Dagenham, included free events across the borough, including a visit by one of our red double-decker buses with one of our local drivers from the area, Richard Pincombe.

Some of the other activities for the week included aqua aerobics, yoga, boccia, sewing, self-defence and bingo.

The main event for Older People’s Day took place on 2nd October in Barking Town Square, with a range of physical activity demonstrations of Tai Chi, Zumba Gold and Line Dancing, plus tours of our double-decker bus and helpful tips from Richard on the benefits of using London buses. He also explained how the drivers are taught to be aware of different people’s requirements when travelling, particularly if they have restricted movement or disabilities.

Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health and Chair of the borough’s Health and Wellbeing Board said:

"Older people in Barking and Dagenham are truly valued across our communities. They have given, and continue to give, a great deal to our borough and deserve this week of events devoted entirely to them.

"Not only are we celebrating their contribution to our community, but also making sure they have the best possible information, services, advice and support available when they need it."

Driver Richard with some of the guests

Richard said:

"It’s great to be a representative for Arriva London in this way, and to celebrate the older people in our community. It’s also good to be able to explain to these bus users how we are trained to look out for everyone’s specific needs when travelling on buses in such a busy city. I really enjoyed the opportunity of having this dialogue and hearing their important stories."

Arriva London is one of the largest bus operators in London, providing around 18 percent of the Capital’s bus services, operating 98 routes under contract to Transport for London (TfL).

If you are interested in a driving career with Arriva London, then please visit our careers page and get on board.

For the past few years, Nadeem Fazal, the acting garage supervisor from Arriva London’s Clapton garage, has been collecting money for his favourite charity, the ‘Arthritis Self Help Network’, a small charity based in Ilford Essex.